Panathinaikos Stays Dominant, 9-0 in Greek A1

 Panathinaikos Athens are the Greek Kings of Greece’s A1 League. The team is so dominant this season, that it has secured a perfect record (9-0) after nine rounds. Their closest competition in the league is their rival club, Olympiacos who have a 7-2 record and currently have a solo seat at second place.

On December 17th Panathinaikos completely destroyed the Rethymno Cretan Kings (3-6), with a 91-69 blowout win at home. The Cretan Kings were the ones who would bow down to their hosts as early as the first quarter. The league leaders would jump out ahead and would not relinquish control of the game. Marcus Denmon and Matt Lojeski paced the team with 14 points apiece. Panathinaikos’ defense in this outing deserves some credit and a shoutout, with the green shirts getting eight steals and blocking five shots against the Cretan Kings.

Panathinaikos has found a sweet spot this 2017-18, where both their offense and defense seamlessly work, a recipe for success not only in domestic competition but in regional tournaments as well. The club sits in third place in the prestigious Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings with an 8-4 record. Europe’s most competitive league is a no-mans-land for the faint of heart and ill-prepared. So far, Panathinaikos has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in that arena.

Here are the rest of the results from Round 9 of the Greek A1 2017-18 regular season:

December 16th

PAOK vs. AEK, 86-65

Kymis vs. Aris, 94-69

Gymnastikos Larissa-Faros vs. Koroivos, 82-78

December 17th

Olympiacos vs. Lavrio, 91-62

Promitheas vs. Kolossos H Hotels, 76-80